Folding brooder or coop.



Patented Oct. 3|, |899. G. M. MASON.

FOLDING BBOODER 0R COOP.

(Application flied June 5, 1899.)

(No Mndl.)

GILBERT M. MASON, 0F CAMBRIDGE, IOWA.

FOLDING BROODER OR COOP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,794, dated October 3l, 1899. Application filed June 5, 1899. Serial No. 719,377. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, GILBERT n. MASON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Cambridge, in the county of Story, State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful Folding Brooder or Coop, of which the following is a specification.

My object is to provide a folding brooder or coop of simple, strong, and durable construction which may be folded to occupy a minimum of space, so that it may be easily handled or stored.

My object is, further, to provide a brooder or coop which when set up may be used by either one or more families of chickens entirely separated from each other.

My object is, further, to provide a brooder or coop of this class which may be thoroughly protected from the weather when desired or be so opened as to afford ample ventilation and at the same time to prevent the entrance of marauding animals or reptiles, and, further, to provide a coop which may be easily, quickly, and thoroughly cleaned and disinfected.

My invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of the various parts of the device, whereby the objects con-.0.-

templated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, andl illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in

which- Figure 1 shows in perspective the entire brooder or coop ready for use with the combined approach and door at the front shown with one side opened and the other closed. Fig. 2 shows a top or plan view of the device opened out fiat in position for cleaning or disinfecting. Fig. 3 shows a transverse sectional view of the device when in its folded position ready for packing or shipping. Fig. 4 shows a top view of the partition detached.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, the reference-numeral 10 is used to indicate the board which forms the bottom of the device. Hinged to this bottom are the two sides l1 and 12, the hinges being indicated by the numerals 13 and 14. These sides when brought together form an A- shaped coop, and the hooks 15 serve to connect the tops of these side pieces. At the rear edge of this side piece 11 I have hinged a frame 16 by means of the hinges 17. At the top of this frame 16 is a solid portion 17a, in which a feed-slide 18 is placed, and below this is a wire-netting 19. A hook 2O is attached to the side piece 12 to engage the eye 2Oa on the frame 16.

The numeral 21 indicates a solid back hinged to the frame 16 to cover the screen therein. A hook 2la on the solid back is designed to enter an eye 21U on the frame 12.

Near the front edge of the side piece 12 I have iixed a strip 22, and to this strip I have fixed the hinges 22'. These hinges are also fixed to a triangular frame 23, and obviously this frame may fold over on top of the side piece 12. Within this frame I have placed a solid board 24 at the top, and in this board is a feed-slide 245i. Beneath this solid board a horizontal strip of wire-netting 25 is placed, and beneath this netting two or more horizontal wires 26 are placed, and to the bottom portion of this frame 23 I have hinged two narrow boards 27, capable of folding parallel with the frame 23 to cover the wires 26 and also being capable of being swung outwardly and downwardly to form an inclined approach. Hooks 28 on these boards 27 are provided to engage the eyes 29 in the frame 23, so that :the said parts may be secured in position.

yAt the top edge of the side piece 12 is a 'partition 30, composed of a metal frame and anetting to cover the frame, connected therewith by hinges 31 and arranged to normally depend into the central portion of the coop and capable of swinging parallel with the side piece 12. Hooks 32 are pivoted to the lower portion of this partition to engage the eyes 33, secured to the bottom when it is desired to use the partition, or to engage the eyes 34 when Jthe partition is not in use, to thereby hold it up with the side l2. Two auxiliary transverse partitions 35 are hinged to this partion to be capable of folding parallel with the longitudinal partition. Each of said transverse partitions is provided with a hook 36 to engage eyes 37 on the sides, whereby they may be firmly held in position.

In practical use it is obvious that the coop may be constructed quickly and with a mini-l mum of expense and that it may be packed for shipment into the smallest possible space. It may be readily and quickly set up for use for either one, two, or four families of chick- IOO ens without the use of any nails, screws, dre. Vhen it is desired to clean or disinfect the eoop,it is only necessary to loosen a few of the hooks and spread the entire coop out flat, as shown in Fig. E?, when access may be had to any part of the coop.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

l. A folding brooderor coop, comprising in combination, a solidbottom, two side pieces hinged to the sides thereof, to fold inwardly, means for connecting the tops of these side pieces, a back piece hinged to one side to fold outwardly, means for securing the free end of said back to the opposite side, a front piece hinged to the other side capable of folding inwardly, and having openings in the said front pieee near its loweredge for the ingress and egress of chickens, and a door hinged at its lower edge to the said front to provide a combined approach and door, and hooks for securing said door against the front, su bstantially as and for the purposes stated.

2. A oomb'ined brooder and eoop, eornprising in Combination, asolid bottom, side pieces hinged to the bottom to fold inwardly, means for connecting the side pieces at their tops, a

frame at the back hinged to one of the side pieces and havinga wire-netting cover, a solid part at the top of said frame, aslide therein, and auxiliary back hinged to the said frame and capable of lying parallel with the said back, means for connecting said back with the opposite side piece, means for securing the auxiliary back to the back frame, a strip fixed to the front edge of the other side piece, a frame hinged to this strip to fold inwardly, a board at the top of the frame, a slide in this board, netting below the board, and horizontal wires below thenetting in said frame, two doors hinged to the said frame to Cover the passage-way between the Wires, means for seeurin g them in position,and a partition hinged to the top edge of one of the side pieces to depend into the eenterof the coop, and means for securing the lower edge of this partition to the central portion of the bottom of the coop and to the side to which it is hinged, and transverse partitions hinged to the sides of said partition, all arranged and combined, as, and for the purposes stated.

GILBERT M. MASON. Vitnesses:

M. M. MASON, J. B. OLINGER. 

